Man who fell from ride wasn't secured, report says

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- A man who fell to his death from a roller coaster at Six Flags New England was not properly secured in his seat by a park attendant and was so big he should not have been on the ride in the first place, state investigators say.
The Department of Public Safety report, released Friday, blamed an unidentified 20-year-old attendant for not making sure Stanley J. Mordarsky was safely restrained in the Superman Ride of Steel on May 1.
Mordarsky should have been denied admission because his girth prevented a T-bar lap restraint from fitting firmly against his thighs, the report said.
Mordarsky, 55, had cerebral palsy, used a motorized scooter and was 5-foot-2 and weighed 230 pounds, according to his family.
The roller coaster had no apparent mechanical defects, the investigators said.
The ride attendant was put on paid leave while park officials investigate.
Mark Bardack, a Six Flags spokesman, would not say how long the operator worked at the park. "He's an experienced operator," Bardack said. "He was trained and certified on that ride."
Bardack said ride operators at Six Flags amusement parks undergo training programs that exceed industry standards.
Ron Sevart, general manager and vice president of Six Flags New England, said the restraint system will be upgraded on the roller coaster at the Agawam park, as well as on similar rides at Six Flags parks in Largo, Md., and Buffalo, N.Y.
"We believe that the current restraint configuration was the primary factor in Saturday's tragic accident," Sevart said in a statement.